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Published: April 11th 2008
Hanging with Sadhus
A little baksheesh goes a long wayDreaming of an adventure like ours? Find out how we did it at
JulieAndDariansWorldTourGuide.com Kathmandu, 3-5 & 7-10 March 2008
What a remarkable place. Kathmandu is about 2 things; religion and trekking gear. The main tourist area, Thamel, is like one huge camping gear market that's always on sale. I was in heaven, and cursing my already full backpack, vowing to return one day for another fix of 'gucci kit'.
Arriving from Bangkok via Bangladesh on the latter's renowned BIMAN AIR, we could have been mistaken for having just returned from Everest, such was our condition after a 13-hour stopover in Dakar. Having slept on a plastic bench in the departure lounge, my face had been brutally devoured by mosquitos, leaving it swollen and itchy. As the plane touched down in Nepal, Julie and I joined fellow passengers AND cabin crew in celebration and applause for the aircrew (it seems that a safe landing is not taken for granted in this part of the world as much as it is back home).
Our first business after a good night of sleep was a visit to the Indian Embassy to apply for a Visa. As anyone who's visited
Durbar Square
For centuries, the coolest place to hang out that country knows well, this is the most ridiculous load of bureaucratic rubbish any traveller ever has to face. Over the next 7 days, we qued 3 times for more than 3 hours each time, just to gain for ourselves the one of most expensive visas going around. It was almost enough to put us off going to India altogether. As it was, we decided to do 4 weeks in Nepal and 2 in India instead of vice versa.
Back to Kathmandu. The narrow streets give you the impression that you are in a maze and turned a simple bakery run into a wild goose chase. Not that you care, because there's so much to experience here. Never mind the ceaseless traffic noise and pollution, this city is a whole lot of fun. I pass a man half my height and twice my age, dwarfed by the wardrobe he carries on his back, bearing the weight on his forehead via a hessian cord. A little further is a child of no more than 6, selling bottle-top sized packets of tiger balm, and a trekking agency overflowing with porters awaiting the next job. During the Shivaratri Festival, kids all over
Mask Shop
Freaky Street town blocked traffic with a piece of string held between two of them, while the third demanded money. All we could do was laugh at their little act of rebellion, though one has to wonder what fate has in store for them in a few years.
The Shivaratri Festival was well worth sticking around for, though we could only watch the main festivities from a distance. After an hour in the long que to the Pashupatinath Temple, we were kindly informed that 'Beef Eaters' were not welcome inside the actual grounds. Julie's claims of vegetarianism fell on deaf ears and we were directed to an elevated viewing area overlooking the sprawling temple complex. There we enjoyed traditional dancing, music and paan (a kind of herbal mouth freshener), before leaving as the second hand smoke was becoming too much.
We've done our best at picking up a bit of the local language. I had to laugh at Julie when she exclaimed at how she'd been Tikka'd but a Sadhu, and then Baksheeshed all the way down the main street! Hopefully we'll learn some more useful phrases during the trek.
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Nanna
non-member comment
Incredible!
Wow! Your travelogue and photos take us to a world away! Far better than any tourist prpoganda.